Inquisition
by my-chan1325
Summary: Because they were inseparable, and the red-thread did connect them. Because she was the light and he the lamp-post and there was no world where they wouldn't be halves of the whole. And no matter what inquisition they were locked in, they would come out safe & sound and heal, as long as Shin had Ran and Ran had Shin! [ShinRan]- Plz Read&Review
1. The Beginning

**Inquisition: The Beginning**

Summary : What happens when a black clad agent with long silver hair is on the brink of making connection between a suspicious little boy and the feared, non-existent silver bullet! What happens when the rope snaps, patience shatters and revenge becomes the Goal!

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 _Flimsy rays of sunlight peeked through the cracked floorboards of the ceiling and splashed murky blotches across the filthy vacuum, reflecting the slow ticking of time and scantily illuminating the infinite darkness. The place indefinitely reeked of an inexplicable amount of decomposers, as well as a strange combination of air pollutants and crimson fluid. Cobwebs and mold adorned most of the dusty infrastructure, while four- legged and six- legged creatures reigned the expanse with superiority and arrogance. Barely visible onerous footprints were the only indication of living human presence. It was an easily comprehensible image straight out of a nightmare or a horror movie, except that it held as much truth in existence as the person locked in this inquisition held 'truth' dear._

.0.

Gin was no slouch, period! Sure, he was not a detective, but he could still piece two and two together. Two times they had lost control of their helicopter while in war, and both, by something that came flying out of nowhere; he sure had a gut feeling of an impending doom. Someone out there was courageous enough to challenge them, someone who was hidden behind shadows and playing his pawns. And he could notice the obvious, that this someone was able to unite all the forces that were against them, and also for some unexplained reason, change hearts of his loyal subordinates.

He was not afraid, but he feared this someone. And if this person was the famed non-existent silver bullet, then he would make sure to terminate him before the bullet could be fired. It was a challenge now, and somehow somewhere had grown into a personal insult.

The bottom line was; _that he would slaughter the hand before it could slap him._

.0.

 _Degradation of carbonic substance evidenced the fact of the battle that had gone so horribly wrong. He was chained and fixated on a column of wood with his appendages roped in a manner of starfish, spread out and screwed on the wooden plank. His nightmare had begun long ago but this was the extreme that he had dreaded and never wished for. Blood, grime and sweat made a permanent abode on his skin, marking rivulets and permanent flow-beds. Lack of movement and unrestrained torture resulted in a disgustingly live remain of a human. He was provided with basic necessities only to the extent of being alive. It was endless torture since the past two weeks, endless torture by a psycho named Gin._

.0.

He knew that the evidence had been building up and it would just be a matter of time when someone will figure out his identity. He could feel being sniffed _; the cheese was suspiciously oscillating in front of him with the captor nowhere in sight._

But Kudo Shinichi was no slouch, and he knew that this hidden monster knew this. And he also knew that the final showdown with the Black organization was near. His 'danger signal' was blaring and his intuition factoring; the way Gin particularly had gotten rid of Stout, Aquavit, Riesling and Curacao was a clear reflection of his work; actions first and questions later!

The bottom line was; he needed to plan and move first and always be a step ahead. No, scratch that, he needed to make sure that his near and dear ones were safe and out of reach of their hands, especially Ran, and no doubt, Haibara.

The biggest unseen battle was about to begin, and he had garnered enough recognition to be the epicenter of activity, to be the eye of hurricane _. If only the winds would not falter this time._

- _To be continued_ -

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A/N: This idea hit with an incomparable force and took away my sleep and appetite too. And the reason, is because Taliya and co. killed Shinichi, Ku10-41 killed Ran in the dream and Becky Tailweaver left 'Coming Home' at the worst possible cliffhanger and I finally watched movie 20 (very late isn't it ;P). Plus, I wanted to write angst and crime.

I know this is very short, but I was itching all over to post it, so here it is! Hope you liked it, and are hooked!


	2. The Birth

**Inquisition: The Birth**

Like any criminal organization or any sort of government, the Black Organization was also structured in a hierarchical order. Meaning that, to attain a higher rank, you could either be selected in recognition of your skills; or play a dirty game, prove the hypocrisy of your intended target, trap them in an elaborate scheme and finish them off before they could retaliate. A third way also existed, the coup d'état way, but in this you ought to make sure that your target is the highest of the order, and that no one comes to know about it before it successfully happened.

It was common knowledge that Vermouth was close to Anokata and that Rum is the second authority after Anokata. What was not known, were the identities of Anokata and Rum. And this was extremely important, to run a shady organization, you ought to play dirty politics; _the king always moves last, not until checkmated._

.0.

Mouri Ran had known Kudo Shinichi ever since they were toddlers, which at-least meant one thing, and that is, that she knew him well.

She could feel him, she could smell him, she could always sense his presence. He was always present in her mind, guiding in a quiet whisper and providing unseen support and strength. He had always been, and was still the pillar of her foundation, the first brick that formed the core of Mouri Ran. She was never attached to anyone as she was to Shinichi. And the same went for him. She now had abundant evidence.

It was such a pity that he would go to such long lengths to hide his situation, especially from her. He knew that she was never wrong about him, still...he lied and lied and lied.

Lies upon lies upon lies. Millions now. She had lost count.

If she hated someone from the depth of her heart, it would be liars. No, not the regular liars, but those that claim to be truthful seekers of the 'one truth', but stab you in the back like worst traitors. Those that use you for their elaborate schemes, spinning a labyrinth that gets you entangled in an endless spider`s web, whose threads cut through flesh and blood and heart and trust, and leave you in chaos, turmoil and confusion.

Liars who worst of all keep you stuck, waiting and not knowing what to do. Liars who make you doubt your own self, making you question your own sanity. Liars who don't let you leave, nor let you stay.

Liars who play with your feelings. Play with your smiles and tears, happiness and grief. Liars who control your connection to life and manipulate that one drop of water, that single breath of oxygen that holds your life on a suspended string.

Liars like Kudo Shinichi.

She had confronted him, he denied, then provided evidence. She found something suspicious and fishy, he denied again and proved by hook or crook. This cycle had gone for a long time. She _would not_ repeat the same mistakes again. She would watch from the sidelines, would not let him know that she knew, lest he put all his energy and soul into proving her wrong. She would be there to hold him when he fell. She would be there to watch over him as an angel.

She would fulfill all the left voids in his life, as a sister, a friend and hopefully one day, a lover.

For she hated liars, but she loved Kudo Shinichi, she loved Edogawa Conan also _, him in whatever form._ And she was willing to go to hell and back, to get _her Shinichi_ back.

 _Because she was Ran, and he was Shinichi, and the red thread did connect them_. _Because she was Ran with endless unconditional love, she would make sure that their story would not end like this._

.0.

 _He wished for this agony to end. Oh God, at least everyone was safe where they were... hopefully. He had tried his best to not involve anyone, not Ran, never her, nor Haibara, nor professor, nor Heiji nor Kaito KID. This was his battle. He was going to pay the price and he would make sure that this fire would not reach them, even if it meant being tortured endlessly. He could die this death a thousand times over, if it guaranteed their safety. For now, he just wished for death to claim him. Funny, how people dropped dead like rain around him. And here he was, partly wishing to die but alive and beating and suffering._

 _If only the winds had not faltered again._

 _-To be continued-_

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A/N: This story is written in the format of two, the italic paragraphs (individual parts) indicate the present while the normal parts are the background to how all this came about. And before I forget to mention I don`t own DCMK, though I pledge to borrow the characters, blend them and produce different flavored smoothies ;P.

Hope you liked it!


	3. The Birth of Beginning

**Inquisition: The Birth of Beginning**

The gradually growing volcano, the howling flames had reached their threshold, and the spillover of this burning lava was eminent.

She could feel it, even Nature was blaring, warning her to move, to play her trump card: Cool guy, _the silver bullet_. No matter how long she had been a part of the Black organization, Vermouth had never been a part of it with choice, rather was with compulsion. Once upon a time, she was also a small little girl, with a loving family, beautiful friendships and peaceful life in countryside. She also had a past, a name that was neither Chris nor Sharon nor Vermouth. A family that she did die for; _forgotten promises and faded love_.

All that was buried for years had come back out when two innocent teenagers had saved her life, without any reason, without any selfish ulterior motive. And her past had suddenly become alive again; flashing memories, faces that she had dumped in some dark corner and never dared to disclose again. That one act of kindness had created such a ripple of endless emotions, that from then she had been waiting for a perfect time, to end this thrice cursed blood-sucking organization once for all. She had been waiting and building up slowly, gaining higher position so that she could become a better catalyst to speed up their downfall. Perhaps fate was with her that Sherry's drug would do what it wasn't intended to, that Cool guy would be at that place at that time. For Gin to slip up, for Sherry to escape, for Cool guy to be able to single handedly manipulate _Them_ ; she hoped that, that time was coming near.

She had seen Kudo Shinichi fight, had seen the brilliant workings of his brain that had even thrown her off-guard, so many times. She had witnessed him fight back, with what? Bare extensible straps and a helmet that had spooked out the helicopter... high projectile footballs that seemed to outweigh sniper bullets! On the spot improvisation that could put professionals to shame! The perfect silver bullet was here, and she hoped that all the odds would be in favor of her team. She was at his side, she would be an ally that he never expected. _After all, people like her should also get a chance to revenge and repent. And she would do anything for him; for him and Angel, a thousand times over_.

She had tried many times to save him, to subtly change Gin's attention away, to misdirect him from suspecting Edogawa Conan and the Mouris. She had tried her best to not let the wrath of the organization descend upon them, even going as far as slipping up, leaving clues behind, showing of herself to him, all the time warning him without letting both sides know her intentions.

The bottom line was, the inevitable would surely happen. The organization was already investigating the root cause, and she knew that warding off Gin and his trigger-happy hand would be impossibly difficult.

 _This was the time. She just hoped that the winds were with them, her side, his side, the good side._

 _._ 0.

APTX4869 was a drug that affected every cell of the body. It was a toxin that killed the body by apoptosis; by directing the cells to suicide. It was a pure miracle that their bodies were able to direct this self-killing in a systematic way, to the extent of stopping the process at a certain point where the amount of blood, neurotransmitters and chemical messengers were perfectly sufficient for a child's body. She was the most surprised by the fact that they had retained their intelligence. It was impossible to lose a mass of your brain but still retain complete brain functioning associated to those parts. The whole thing was so crazy that it felt something straight out of a manga, it had defied all laws of science, of comprehensible understanding and yet there she was, a living proof of its existence.

Sometimes, she herself was confused by this genetic madness. Of all the seven billion people in the world, why were there only two survivors?! It was so conspicuous that the first survivor was dubbed as the 'Heisi Holmes', the modern Sherlock Holmes; and the name 'Sherlock' was in the toxin's name- 4869. Perhaps it was karma, some strange twisted plan of some deity to finish off the organization by something that they themselves had sponsored and created. It was safe to think like this, at least, than blanketing guilt upon herself that she had countless blood on her hands, the mere thought of which left her gasping for life.

But one thing was sure, how much ever she claimed to know about this drug, it was all the more enigmatic. She knew without doubt that she and Kudo would never get back to what they were, even if she somehow would possibly procure a permanent antidote, the inherent change was impossible now, in all ways: physically, emotionally, intellectually and psychologically. They would never be the true Kudo Shinichi or Miyano Shiho.

The bottom line was, that she would always be at his side, who knows how this toxin would react to whatever shit always happened with him. And if Kudo Shinichi's mission was to bring down the Black organization, then hers, _Miyano Shiho's_ was to give him his life back. She owed at least this much, _and she was going to fulfill her oath sincerely._

.0.

 _Pounding footsteps reverberated on the dusty floor echoing the thumping of his heart. He wondered when he would get a chance to escape from this hell. Someone ought to have figured out his absence, someone ought to have gotten a lead to where he was. Or if Gin had covered all tracks and just sent a bullet through everyone's head who tried to come near… For now, he could faintly make out footsteps of two people, one light and airy and soothing, and the other evil and pounding._

 _The sight that met him was the one that he feared most. Out of the mist and smog, came out the image that he had frequently seen in his nightmares. All the willpower and hope and whatever was left inside him shattered all over again. God, he had tried so hard, had fought, had told lies, had gone against his own principles, against the one truth, just so that he would not see this day._

 _A lone tear glided across his cheeks as a whisper escaped from his lips, "Ran." If only time could go back again._

 _If only he did not go behind Gin and Vodka at Tropical Land. If only he wasn't so curious. No...perhaps it was more of arrogance than curiosity. Perhaps he had become too arrogant and proud of himself. Perhaps the praise had gotten into his head and made a permanent abode. Perhaps he was too confident in his skills that he thought that nothing, no one could escape him, could outsmart him._

 _What was the saying...yeah, that pride goes before the fall. So true, his overconfidence had led to this mistake._

 _If only!_

 _Then he wouldn't have to see a gagged and ragged Ran, a fallen angel at mercy of a monster. Ran, who looked disheveled and tired but still held her head high, face betraying no emotion eventhough a gun dug circles into her forehead._

 _Ran, whose eyes accused him, questioned him, talked to him. Asked him how he was. Asked him why?... Told him that everything would be fine. Told him that she still loved him. Told him that they would get out of this together._

 _He didn't know this language. He had never learned talking through eyes. Yet here he was, a split second of eternity had taught him this too._

 _Why were the winds so against him?!_

 _Why?_

 _-To be continued-_

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A/N: It feels like this story is catching my little finger and showing me the way. Not the other way round, that I am the creator, author of it. Let`s see where it leads me!


	4. The Growth

**Inquisition: The Growth**

 _He stared into her eyes, into the dark abyss that had a single twinkle of light, the ray of which pierced through the haze present in between them and reached his own, sufficiently hooking his gaze into hers. He badly wanted to pull away from this sweet enchantment, but the hope and determination that seeped out from those orbs articulated him a million things._

 _He never had believed in telepathy or any such thing, but he knew that some people do have a special connection; that if one gets hurt the other feels; that some things aren't said, they are just felt; that sometimes lives are so intertwined that they coexist, feeding off each others presence. Maybe this was termed as the 'red thread'. He knew that their life was built on the support that they provided each other, that they were foundation stones of each other, that they were puzzle pieces that fit each other, Yet he had broken this unspoken connection just so that she would be alive and far away from his darkness. He knew that he had underestimated this link, how can two hearts that beat together not know the tribulations of other._

 _And after all this, she had still been able to step in the deepest darkest page was of his life. Maybe this was fate, that they were inseparable._ _ **So, be it**_ _! This time, hopefully there was more to their story, this time he would not sever this bond. This time, he would spin the threads into an unbreakable rope. Maybe, his mistake was that he had to kill himself, kill Kudo Shinichi, but that was the necessity of the plan. This time, they live together or die together. No, this wasn't suicidal, this was survival, cause he knew that without each other, they would break and shatter. Funny, how people don't get 'it', and then a flash of realization clarifies 'it' when life is played in contrast._

 _He could see the red in her eyes, of pain, frustration and longing. He could see her gagged and taped. It unfolded in slow motion, as she was dumped into the cell in front of him, as rugged hands grabbed her ruthlessly and roped her into the wooden planks. He could feel his blood boil, his head throbbing in anger, as a punch left a blue bruise on her eye. Anything more, then forget survival, it would be revenge. Was this what most of the criminals that he had caught felt? He knew that he was being tested by what he loved the most and what he feared losing the most. He was also a human, he had a breaking point. His priority had always been the safety of his dear ones, now his core theme of life was directly challenged, a proof of which mirrored in his eyes._

 _His throat was sore, he couldn`t speak, couldn`t call her loud even if he wished. Gin was a beast, and his body was an evidence of that. Like a rat that was experimented with numerous ways of torture, Gin had applied every tactic, everything that made him want to die but never killed him. As long as it was with him, he could peacefully accept it, but the mere thought of Ran going through all this was suffocating him to death. He had kept his mouth shut these fourteen days, hadn't disclosed his confidants, lest they face this torment, but if Gin was going to knife her muscle by muscle or break her joints or half-roast her on coal, then he didn't know what he would do. He knew that the battle outside wasn't yet over, that there was someone far bigger and corrupter out there, that a traitor could flip the battle you were about to win. And traitors did exist, in both his rank and theirs. He didn't know how they had found her, neither could fathom what was going on. But her eyes said a lot to him._

 _It was almost laughable, how his life, her life, their lives had become a game of death._

.0.

And if the battle was going to begin, then he was going to win the toss. He would drag them into the maze that he had planned, into the battle field he had structured.

Kudo Shinichi was the silver bullet, and he would damn sure prove them that.

And plan he did, checking off his priority list one by one, deciding who to keep safe and away and who to involve.

First, the Mouris, Suzuki Sonoko and the Detective Boys were sent away on a trip that Ran had won and Kudo Yusaku had funded. At the last moment, Edogawa Conan falls ill and is taken back home by his mother, Edogawa Fumiyo.

Besides, it was summer vacation after all.

Haibara was suspicious, and he lets her be. Instead, he just pleads her to watch over Ran. At least, this was a point of no conflict between them.

Second, Kudo Shinichi was officially proven dead. His parents expressed with fake tears their grief, their reason of keeping quiet and performed his funeral with an empty coffin.

Megure, Takagi, Sato and all those for whom he was alive had to be included in the plan, but they just get a pinch of the mountainous detail.

And then the real battle began. The rest were smart, but he knew he could use them, just as he had before. It worked better than explaining every tiny detail to everyone. He had long mastered using people`s reflexes, their reactions, to get them to do what he had planned.

It saved time, and gave him leeway for improvisation.

Most of all, the winds seemed to be with him.

 _But winds are a fickle thing. They falter and they break things apart. And during a storm, they are the least trustable thing._

 _-To be continued-_

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A/N: I figured out that I can`t just write anything. It takes a lot of time and effort to get personal satisfaction, and of course, reviews and comments give that instant dose of energy and inspiration to continue. So, if you have any favourite phrase, or line, drop a review, it`ll feed my soul.


	5. The Progress

**Inquisition: The Progress**

 _She was stuck, rooted at her spot, unfeeling the gun and the hands and the way she was being pushed and punched and roped, all along staring at the spectacle that shook her insides and made her mouth sour and blood boil. She never had imagined this, not even in the worst of nightmares. Was this Shinichi? Her mind couldn't comprehend but her heart was beating hard, erasing all doubts, even though the person that hung twenty meters apart was barely recognizable, barely Shinichi. And yet, her eyes had locked unto him, unto his eyes. Proving that he was Shinichi._

 _She could see him broken. So broken that it killed her. It pierced her heart to see him like this. Shinichi wasn't supposed to be like this. He was 'the savior'. Her hero, everyone`s hero. He never broke. He never cried. He had always been an anchor, a constant support that she could rely on. He was someone whom everyone trusted and depended on because he would always make out, always find a way. He was SHINICHI, special and number one. He never lost, right!_

 _She knew it, knew now about Edogawa Conan and everyone involved. Everyone had depended on him, thrusting upon him the burden of bringing 'them' down. And now, when he was in a pinch- no pinch wasn't a right word, this was a disaster! It freaking took them so long, took her so long to finally find him. Fallen pieces that lay scattered- that was him right now. She could only gaze into his eyes- giving him all the hope and solace that everything would be fine, that she was here, he was here- they will make out. They will HEAL. That help was coming. That he had been successful, that everyone was safe. And finally, that he was the true silver bullet, he had brought them down, single-mindedly._

 _He was the 'silver bullet'. The term made her cry, how everyone had believed it, that he was the ultimate solution, ultimate destruction of 'them'. Nobody had bothered about him, only used him for their own purposes. Does nothing happen to a bullet when it shoots out to kill. Does it not shatter, come out of its shell. Does the impact not affect both sides? How come everyone overlooked that, everyone including her- up until now, until she looked into his eyes, and saw what all was chipped out of Kudo Shinichi, until she saw that lone tear gliding down his eyes and saw him so broken, so not Shinichi._

 _Some part of her was ashamed of herself, that she had held her grief at such a high-stand that she had overlooked what he was going through. Cause somewhere deep in her heart, she knew from the beginning that Conan and Shinichi were one and same. And yet, every time the lies had so clogged up her heart that she wanted him to apologize to her on his knees, on his hands, on his face, to repent at her feet, to ask forgiveness for every single tear, every single heartache. But, right now- she had witnessed his side of story, got the bearings of how difficult it would have been, it actually had been. Maybe, if their roles were to be reversed, she would have had taken the same decision as him. She had realized finally; that her tears and his blood could not be equated. They were far ahead to play the blame game, far ahead to account each other for decisions they had taken and choices that either had made._

 _It was time to heal, time to support each other and bring back what was lost of Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran._

 _Because they were inseparable, and the red-thread did connect them. Because she was the light and he the lamp post and there was no world where they wouldn't be halves of the whole._

 _For now, she waited with bated breaths and determination that could move a mountain, for help to arrive. After all, she had volunteered to play the hostage._

 _And even if the winds weren't with Shinichi, then they all were with him. They all would built an impenetrable wall, a fortress, a shelter, a sail. They would force the winds to be at their side. The story wasn't over just yet!_

.0.

Everything was so stupid. She knew that Shinichi was alive. She was alive and breathing! If something had happened to him, she would feel it. She was sure of it. Then how? Why? What was so dangerous that everyone had to pretend this death drama? What went down-hill for things to end up like this!

She had her suspicions ever since Conan went home, and they all were somehow taken out of country- on the excuse of this 'trip'. But everyone expected her to be oblivious, to not know anything and be the gentle, caring, bull-headed Ran-neechan that couldn't figure things out, expected her to be the naïve girl that only waited for her Shinichi to come home and pretended to not notice what she had in front of her, _who_ she had in front of her. So she did what they expected of her, but nobody knew- that deep inside, hers and Shinichi`s heartstrings were so intertwined, that every single time- before even he could realize what was going to happen, she would sense it, just as if it were a premonition- bewaring her, mocking her to go save him before what was fated could occur.

And this feeling was back again. Second time that it was so strong- after that night in Tropical Land. This time no broken shoe-laces would stop her, no one would mock at her failure in stopping Shinichi, in saving him.

She was finally out for answers, to seek the truth that everyone was so desperate at hiding from her.

.0.

She stared at Haibara Ai. She somehow knew that she was the closest person available to wringle some secrets out. If not hook, then by crook! If neither, then Haibara still owed her for saving her life.

She cornered her, giving no place to hide, no path to escape. Unexpected and sudden, so that no one could plan a counter-lie and throw it in her face.

She told her, first by hook- what it was to know everything but pretend, what it was to feel everything but hide. Then by crook, because it seemed that Shinichi had taken a promise from everyone that Ran **should** be kept away. So she had blocked her, locked her, confiscated every single means of communication, played the same game that Shinichi did that made criminals accept their wrong-doings. Because when determination is strong, and it`s do-or-die, then she doesn't have to pretend to be naïve. She was strong, strong-willed. She would show it to everyone. Lastly, she broke the remaining shell by guilt-tripping her, how she had saved Haibara- jumping in front of showering bullets, protecting her- because deep down, she did known that Haibara was Conan`s hope, Shinichi`s future. Then, was it still so necessary to keep _her_ out of loop, keep the oneaway that was closest to Shinichi. Was that promise still needed, required, _unbendable_ in such a situation?

And so, Mouri Ran finally stepped into the other half of the story, knowing everything, few of them knowing that she knew. But she still stayed apart, because that`s what Shinichi wanted.

But not until fifteen days ago, when the world had come crashing down on all of them.

- _To be continued-_


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